The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-05-03

Oeaus, anu tic llht, itduc va SOPpch'
There are articles of pottery, elegantly
designed and finished; ornaments made
of silver, bone, mica from the Alle-
ghcnies. and shells from the Gulf of
Mexico. The articles made of stone
show fine workmanship, and some of
them are deliberately carved. Tools OF
some very hard material must have
been required TO work the pOrphtry In
this manner. Obsidian il a Volcanic
product largely used by the ancient
Mexicans and PerIIvians for arms and
cutting Instruments. 1t Is found in ITS
natural state nowhere nearer the Mis-
sisSippi valley than the Mexican noun
tains of Cerro Gorlo.
There appears to be evidence that
the Mound Builders had the art OF
spinning and weaving. Cor cloth has
been found among their remains.
Schoolcraft gives this account of dis
cOvery made in West Virginia: I'm
the course of excavations made in l842
i'm the easternmoSt of the three mounds
of the Elizabeth group. several tubes OF
stone were disclosed, the precise object
of which has been the subject Ot varl-
Gus opinions. The longest measured
twelve inches, the shortest eight.
Three of them were carved out OF
steatite. being skillfully cut AMI pol
ished. The diameter od the tube ex-
ternallv was one inch and fOur-tcnthS;
! the bore. eight-tenthS of an inch. This
caliber was continued till within three
eighths of an inch of the sight end.
when il diminishes to twO-tenthS of an
inch. BY placing the eye at the dimin-
ishcd end. the extraneOuS light Is shut
from the pupil, and distant objects are
more clearly discerned. An ancient
Peruvian relic. found few years ago.
shows the figure of man wrought in
silver, in the act of studying the
heavens through such 4 tube. Similar
tubes have been found among relics OF
| the Mound Builders in Ohio and else
where. In Mexico. Captain DupaiS
| saw sculptured on n peculiar stone
structure the figure of man making
use of one. Astronomical devices were
sculptured below the figure. This
structure he supposed IL have been
used for observation of the stars.
That the Mound-Builders and their
works belong to distant period in the
past is evident; hut we have no means
of determining their antiquity with
any approach to accuracy. Great an
tiquity is indicated by skeletons taken
from the mounds. Every skeleton of
a Mound-Builder is found in cOndi-
ton of extreme decay. Not more than
one or two skeletons of that people
have been recovered in a suitable con-
dition for intelligent examination: Yet
all the circumstances attending their
burial were unusually favorable for
their preservation. The MOund-Build-
rrs are supposed to have been sun
worShipers, like the MeXicans and
PeruvianS. as the dirks du. from their
mounds appear to have been designed
as representatives of the sun anil moon.
The Natchcz Indians found settled on
the Lower Mississippi may have been a
degenerate remnant of the Mound
Builders. They differed in language,
customs and condition from all other
Indians in the country; and their own
traditions connected them with Mexico
Like the Mexicans they had temple:
or sacred buildings in which the per
petual fire" was maintained. Zach
of their villages was furnished
with sacred building of this kind
They were sun-worshipers and claimed
that their chief derived his descent
: from the sun. The Natchez were eS
terminated in 1870 by the French, whom
they had treated with great kindness
OF the few who escaped death, SONS
were received among tire ChickaSaw'
and Muskogees. but more were sent t.
Santo Domingo and sold as slaves
No view that can be taken of the relic
left by the MOund-Builders will permi
Us to believe that their stay in the
t country was short. ANY hypothesis
based on the shortest possible estimate
. If the time must count the years b.
centurics.-TOLedO Blade.